Monday, March 31, 2014

First of all I have to say that I've had a great time on this vacation. It was just what I needed to get out of my doldrums and shake my depression. Perhaps that is indication enough that I should get away from winter earlier in the season before things get that bad, like they did this year. And, in my much improved state of mind, I do appreciate the good things that Leon and I have together, more than I do when things look bleak for no apparent reason.

One of our objectives in coming to Santa Fe was to look at homes with the possibility of relocating here sometime. There are many things to consider and many that we checked out while here, including the cost of living, the health care system, and other services.

One thing we hadn't considered was Leon's dyslexia. Camino de las Crucitas or Passeo del Peralta are not easily deciphered and/or pronounced, let alone spelled easily by my dyslexic partner. We had some laughs picturing him trying to explain to someone where he lives in Santa Fe. I told him he would need to pin a note with his address on his shirt.

The cost of living here I think is much higher than we are used to, even though taxes are lower and the cost of heating/fuel/electricity is less. Home prices are much higher than in our neck of the woods in Connecticut, though many people think that Connecticut is wall to wall wealth and mansions. We could not sell our home and get anything comparable in Santa Fe.

Many of the homes we looked at in our price range were in less desirable neighborhoods, were in need of cosmetic overhauls or major repairs.

Some were so weirdly configured that I couldn't imagine what the designer was thinking. Like not being able to access the backyard without going through the garage, or having a garage door that opened to a storage locker the size of a shed because the rest of the garage was made into a bedroom, or having a sunken sunroom whose purpose escaped us.

Finding a house with a decent size yard was also a challenge.

The very first house we saw was in move-in condition and very charming and inviting. I really liked it. However it was in a small, isolated community in Cochiti Lake - about 30 miles from Santa Fe. But at $135,000 it was the best bang for the buck. People said, "It's too far, no one would ever come out to visit you." And you don't own the land; and there is nothing to do - no grocery stores, CVSs, HomeDepots or Targets - just a gas station and a minimart. There is a community center and I think there's a small library, a school and a golf course with a restaurant.

Other homes had issues or tiny yards which our dog would not enjoy. Or you trade off a large yard for weird interiors.

Real quirky house with a large yard

Other homes were very small but with relatively large price tags - especially those nearer to the center of town.

Others were large, looked promising from the outside but needed a hundred thousand dollars of refurbishing/remodeling.

Others not only needed work but were in ugly surroundings.

But it was a fun way to see the City and surrounding area and gave us a good perspective on what would be involved in moving.

We did meet two guys in town who had moved there from New York and were introduced to us by a mutual friend back east. We went to dinner together, went hiking the next day and to Saturday brunch with them and really enjoyed their company. They were also a wealth of information about the relocation process.

We also met another couple who invited us up to their very beautiful place where they had a 3-acre lot with piñon and juniper. Their neighborhood is way, way beyond our budget. But we had a very nice visit with them.

We could move to the Earthship complex near Taos, of course. But there you have to be wealthy to live poor - off the grid.

Santa Fe style seemed a bit more subdued than I remember it from past trips.

We walked the park along the Santa Fe River (a babbling brook in our neck of the woods).

Santa Fe River in Town

We saw different parts of the city and countryside. We met some very nice people and had more laughs than I've had all winter. The weather was pleasant, springtime warm, the daffodils and forsythia and cherry trees were blossoming and we even had a light mud shower one night that left spots of mud all over everyone's car. This alone will be a challenge for Leon who is so anal about keeping our vehicles spotless. I still think I would miss the greenery of the Northeast, the maples and oaks and birch and the grass and the flowering shrubs and the dense woodlands. I would miss the streams and the lakes and the ocean and seacoast.

If I could be assured that Santa Fe would improve my psychological well being, I might be more inclined to make a move and give up the green and the water.

We shall meditate on that and see.

Tomorrow, its off to Albuquerque and the Breaking Bad Tour? And an early flight to Hartford on Wednesday.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Today we did about a 3.7 mile hike at Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico (Canyon Trail and loop trail). We had never heard of this park or the formations before, so we went to check it out. It was a great hike with spectacular views and interesting rock formations. If you want the geological information you can Google it. Oh, and with my National Parks senior pass we got in free.
Here are some photos:

About Me

From New Britain & Bristol, CT now in Cochiti Lake, New Mexico, United States

I am a reluctantly-retired, no-longer self-employed, gay baby boomer who came out relatively late in life due to taking my Catholic upbringing much too seriously. I've been with my loving partner since 1988 and we married on October 25, 2014. We moved from a small house on a few of acres of woods in Connecticut to a small house in Cochiti Lake New Mexico in November 2015. I worked for non-profits and the like so have no retirement plan other than to work as little as possible, enjoy as much as possible and hope for the best, which is not at all practical. I have a rebellious streak but I am not heroic by any means, thus the "reluctant" part of my blog title. Our 100 pound Labrador/Weimaraner "Benni" has taken over our lives since we adopted him as a rescue puppy in 2010. He has his own blog. We like the outdoors, traveling and RVing. Oh, I recently published a book (September 2014), a memoir to be exact, which I hope will be at least somewhat entertaining. You can buy "Did You Ever See A Horse Go By?" Amazon, soft cover, PDF, ebook and Kindle (I apologize for the price as I had no control over that).